Brač history carved in stone
The oldest human traces on the island of Brač lie in Kopačina cave near Donji Humac. The Illyrians named the island after brentos, the deer, their cult animal whose bones still lie in the same cave. The Greeks never founded a colony on Brač but traded with the Illyrians at Vičja luka near Ložišća. From the 1st century, Roman quarries near Škrip cut the white limestone that built Diocletian’s Palace in Split, the cathedrals of Šibenik and Trogir, and the parliaments of Vienna and Budapest.
23 villages on Brač, each its own story
Brač has 23 villages and small towns, most of them built inland to escape centuries of pirate raids. Dol, with its red hrapaćuša stone houses, gave its name to the cake now protected as Croatian intangible cultural heritage. Selca holds the world’s first monument to Tolstoy (1914) and Europe’s first life-size monument to Pope John Paul II (1996). Ložišća has the only stone bridge on the island, built in 1898 to honour Emperor Franz Joseph I.
Bike trails, hiking peaks, hidden caves
Brač has the most bike trails of any Croatian island, with 25 routes covering 1,026 kilometres, named after saints. Vidova Gora at 778 metres is the highest peak of all Adriatic islands; the road is open by car, and the hiking trail from Bol takes around two hours. From Milna in the west to Povlja in the east, the Medulla trail crosses the entire island in a single 109 kilometre loop. Brač counts roughly 300 caves, many still unmapped and unexplored.
Brač traditional food protected as cultural heritage
Brač cooking is shaped by sheep grazing on aromatic karst herbs and centuries of stone-cellar craft. Vitalac, lamb or kid offal wrapped in caul fat and intestines and turned on a spit, is protected as Croatian intangible cultural heritage. The hrapoćuša cake from Dol carries the same protection. Brač olive oil holds EU Protected Designation of Origin status, and the Olive Oil Museum in Škrip operates an oilery dating back to 1864.
How to get to Brač from Split, Makarska, and by air
Brač is one of the best-connected Croatian islands. Two car ferry lines run daily year-round: Split to Supetar and Makarska to Sumartin. Connections increase significantly during summer. The island has its own airport with seasonal flights from European cities. Once on Brač, several bus lines connect Supetar to other towns and villages, and rent-a-car is available across the island.
Brač’s Postcards
From hilltop villages to harbour towns